Process for treatment of precious-metal ores for extracting their values.



E, Ll PROCESS FOR TREATMENT OF PRECIOUS METAL GEES FOR BXTRAGTING THEIR VALUES. v

APPLICATION FILED NOV.7, 1911.

Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

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To all whom 'it may concern."

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EDWARD 1.. enounce, or 1inw Yo-Bx,- n; 2. v

j muons Be it known that I, EDWARD L. DUFo Ro acitizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city and State of New York, have invented a]? new and useful. Improvement. in Processes for Treatment of Precious-Metal Oresfor Extracting Their Val'ues, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a new process for the treatment of precious metal ores for extracting their values, which other solvent agent.

process consists in j dissolving the precious metals of an ore of these metals, such, for instance, as gold or silver ore, by means of a solution of cyanid of sodium or potassium or other solvent, continuously by means of agitation by compressed air introduced into the solvent; such particles of the ore under treatment as may be shown in the course of the process to be of too large a size to be treated efiectively, being removed from the action of the solvent solution and the oxidizing efiect of the compressed air, for subsequent re-treatment, thus permitting the remaining particles of the ore to be more quickly dissolved with a very considerably reduced consumption of the cyanid salt or Three different forms of apparatus which may be effectively used for carrying out the process are represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents in diagram three successive V-boxes having their downtake and Y uptake sides inclined, Fig. 2 shows in diagram four successive V-boxes having their downtake sides vertical. andtheir uptake sides inclined, and'Fig. 3 shows in diagram four V-boxes'with their downtake sides inclined and their uptake sides vertical.

The downtake sides of the boxes are denoted by 1 and their u take sides by'2. A vertically arranged ba e board 3 is located in each V-box, the bottom of which bafiie board is adjusted the desired distance from the bottom of the V-box.; I

The bottom of each V-box isprovided with a device for permitting the removal of the coarser particles, which device is herein shown as an outlet pipe 4 having a valve 5 I therein to open and close the same. Each V- box -is also provided with means for introducing jets or streams or compressed alr upwardlyalong the uptake side of the V-box.

* Application filed November 7, 1 9111 1 seria ize, 59,018. I

V-box by meansof thegupwardl'y directed 1 Specification of Iietters gatent. Patented Ma 23, 1915 This-"is provided for the illustration; shown herein by a series of pipes 6, oneonly of which 1s shown in each V-box, said'pipes being provided with'a-valve 7 for controlne he passage; of compressed air therethrough, I

In carrying out the process, the ore is subjected to continuous successive treatments in y the solvent solutionin a plurality ofsucce's- 'sive V-boxes, the number .of said; V boxes being varied to. suit 'difierent requirements.-

The mass is passed downwardly alonjgthedowntake side of the V-boxby gravity and then upwardly along the uptake side of the jetsof compressed air, the overfiow'fromthe first V -box passing into the downtake side of the second .Vf-bOX. of the series and from thence through as many boxes as may be desired. The coarser particles which are found to be too large for. proper treatment will remain in the bottoms of these V -boxes where they may be removed through the outlet pipes 4. These coarser particles may be prepared for subsequent re-treatment by grinding them to a finer consistency or, if their values are unprofitable, they may be discarded. If so desired, the process may be carried out without the removal of the coarser particles if this be found unnecessary in the treatment of certain particular ores, the treatment of the ores in successive boxes by successive jets of air serving in itself to secure a more complete and rapid extraction of the values. I

What I claim is 1. The herein described process for treatment of precious metal ores for extracting coarser particles from the mass in any oneor more of the said baths.

'2. The herein described process for treat ment of prec ous metal ores for extracting their values, consisting,vfirst, in treating the ore with a solvent, second, passing the result'in mass into the first of a series'of openaced V boxes, third, agitating the mass and forcing, itfrom'one V box to another by means of a series of 'airblasts located in the it V boxes, and fourth, removing the coarser particles from the mass'in any one "of said boxes as the proces'sgoeson.

3. The herein described process for treatment of precious metal ores for extracting their values, consisting, first, in treating the ore with a suitable solvent, second, passing" the parts of the dissolved ore and its solvent solution downwardly along the downta'ke side of an open-faced V box around a battleboard, third, in applying a blast of compressed air to the mass when it reaches the bottom of the V box to agitate it and force it upwardly along the uptake side of the V box into a. second V box and continuing the 

